Category: Delco

Rodney King whose rough-handling during arrest was captured on videotape leading to a trial of the officers, their initial acquittal and the L.A. Riot of 1991 will be boxing a yet-to-be identified ex-policemen, Sept. 12, at Celebrity Boxing Federation event at the Maple Zone Sports & Fitness Center in Bethel Township, Pa., in Suburban Philadelphia.

King, 43, who boxed as a youth, has been training in San Bernadino, Ca.

He may be best known for his plea “Can we all get along?” made at the height of the riots.

While doing some clean up today at the old Garnet Valley Press office in Concord Township (Pa.) Fred Mitchell stopped by thinking the office remained open and looking for a recent paper with a story about him written by Eileen Shomo.

Fred revealed he had been a 17-year-old sailor manning an anti-aircraft gun aboard the destroyer USS Drexler which was sunk by a kamikaze plane on March 27, 1945 off Okinawa. Out of crew of 336 there was 158 dead and 52 wounded, one of whom was Fred.

Fred said he nursed an enduring hatred for the Japanese to the dismay of his wife and parents. He said he wished we had dropped three atom bombs on the country.

His wife noted he said the Lord’s Prayer at church and wondered if he wasn’t being a bit hypocritical when it he said the part about “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others”.

Fred said he caught a documentary on TV regarding three Marines who fought on Iwo Jima and had, had the same hatred with regard to the Japanese. He caught them questioning whether they wanted to die with that hatred. He said the Marines decided to try to meet with Japanese who fought them there. They found three and they met on the island where they had been trying to kill each other. What died was their hatred. The Japanese also confessed to fear dying with hate.

Fred said before a reunion of Drexler survivors his group had been contacted by a Japanese-American woman who made documentaries and wanted to interview them. The ensuring film led to a visit to Japan for the survivors and their wives sponsored by the Japanese business community.

The hatred died.

Fred said they were treated like movie stars, and ever a sailor, was quite taken with the loveliness of the Japanese hostesses.

Fred said he plans to return.

Fred was also quite complementary of the health care he was receiving in the VA medical system.

Once things were pink for the Aston Republican Party. Joe Possenti was captain and his first mate was the always entertaining Keith Crego.

But things change. Joe has now followed in the footsteps of Arlen Specter and become a Democrat, and Crego, well, I really don’t know what he’s been up to.

I’m sure Possenti’s reasoning was solely a matter of principle and sour grapes for his losing the GOP chairmanship had nothing to do with it.

Nor did the end of his tenure as President of the Board of the Aston Commissioners in December.

I’m certain it was principle. He must have seen the light about global warming and came to understand that the infliction of economic suffering on those not connected to the power structure is only way to appease the anger of Gaia.

Possenti, who remains Third Ward commissioner, took Second Ward commissioner Jeffrey Pilla to the Dem side with him.

Meanwhile, in Alaska, Sarah Palin stepped down as governor saying that since she wasn’t running for re-election it was in the best interest of her state that there not be a lame duck in the office.

Some people want to hold office for the power and ego. Others want to serve.

A friend told me how she took her sister to Riddle Memorial Hospital’s emergency room for a severe allergic reaction, only to be told by the volunteer at the desk that there was no doctor on duty and it would be 30 minutes before she could be triaged.

They ended up taking her to Springfield Hospital where she was admitted and given an IV.